Jewish Seals in the German Kingdom. Sealing Practices and Self-Representation in the Thirteenth to Fifteenth Centuries

When sealing practice reached its peak in the 13^th and 14^th centuries, Jews began using their own seals, too. Jewish law, however, did not require any sealing, since business parties and witnesses used signatures instead. This is the reason why no Hebrew charters bearing Jewish seals are known from the medieval German Kingdom. Because seals always signified status and were an ideal medium for self-representation, a significant number of Jews – influential business men and women with contacts to the Christian elites – began to verify documents with their own seals.